Lost Bird
by thrufirewithoutaburn
Summary: Birdy, Jack Kelly's lieutenant, is living with a dark secret. And the Manhattan Newsies will stop at nothing to save her from it.
1. Birdy

Nothing quite wakes a girl up like four teenage boys jumping on top of her.

"Time to get up, Sleeping Beauty!" One boy cried, tousling her hair.

Regretting having to do so, the girl lazily pulled her eyes open to the sight of four boys invading her closet of a room. Mush, Kid Blink, Jack, and Racetrack sat on top of her, smiling down at her form.

"Why are you all here?" she groaned, pushing the boys, one by one, off of her and onto the hard wood floor.

"'Cause it's nearly 6 and youse still ain't up yet," a boy with an eye patch said, standing up from his place on the ground.

The girl rolled over, sighing.

"Just five more minutes, Blink," she begged.

But the boys would not allow it.

"Nope! C'mon. Let's go," another voice said.

She recognized it to be the voice of Cowboy, their leader.

"I don't wanna!" She shouted, batting him away.

Unfortunately, before she could argue again, he had caught her arm and yanked her to her feet.

"I will get you for this, Jack Kelly," she promised darkly.

He merely laughed at her threat.

"Youse say that every mornin'" he said, rallying the rest of his boys to leave her room.

Waiting until they were gone, she sighed and set about getting ready for the day. The girl crossed to her small bureau and pulled the shaving tin that one of the boys had bought her for Christmas off of it. One quick glance at her reflection elicited a groan from her. Splotches of pink marred the skin around her golden brown eye. The beginnings of a bruise shaded the area around her left eye, barely noticeable, but there all the same.

"Oh, goodness," she muttered to herself, knowing that by the evening it would be fully developed and she would have no way of hiding it from the boys.

Resigning to herself to the arguments the boys would pick with her over it, she sighed and prepared for the day. Taking one quick peak into the shaving tin to make sure she looked decent, she dashed out of the door. At the bottom of the stairs, some of the boys waited impatiently for her.

"Well, if it isn't her majesty herself, finally up from her beauty sleep," Racetrack said, bowing grandly. The girl smirked.

"Yes, beauty sleep. Something I see you aren't getting enough of."

The little Italian stumbled jokingly back, wounded by her comment.

"Oh, Birdy, you wound me," he said, clutching his chest.

Ignoring his antics, Birdy waved Blink, Mush, and Boots in her direction and left with them. Racetrack casually walked a few paces behind them, glad to see that the circulation bell had only just begun ringing when they sauntered up.

The five newsies stood in line, laughing and joking their way through.

"So, Birdy, youse gonna sell with me today?" Blink asked, gently tapping her shoulder.

She shrugged.

"I dunno. Where d'ya think you'll sell?"

Blink thought for a moment.

"Bottle Alley?"

Birdy shook her head.

"I can't go there," she said.

Her friend nodded his head knowingly.

"Well, wese could go to Battery Park?"

The girl thought it over for a moment.

"Yeah. Let's do that."

She shuffled up to Weasel's window, trying to ignore the gaze of Oscar and Morris.

"50 papes?" she said, pushing her money under the window.

Morris counted them out and walked out to personally hand deliver them to her.

She held her hand out, waiting for him to hand them to her.

"Say please," he said, holding them behind his back.

Gritting her teeth, she did what he asked. Not pleased, he frowned and shook his head.

"C'mon, dat wasn't very kind. Say it with a smile."

Birdy tried to snatch the papes from him, only to have him hold them above his head, out of her reach.

"Please, Morris?" she asked, managing a fake smile.

Nodding with a triumphant smirk, he handed them to her.

"Now get outta here 'fore I give you a matching bruise on your right eye," he said, patting her rear end roughly as she walked away, and jumping into the safety of the office before any of newsies soaked him for acting that way toward her.

Birdy rushed down the ramp, trying to ignore Blink walking right behind her. Shouldering her papes, she walked straight through the gates and toward the park.

"Birdy, wait up!" he said, jogging to catch up with her.

Lightly, he put his hand on her shoulder.

"What'd he mean? Bruise?" Blink asked, gently.

The girl smiled and turned to him.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

And, even though Blink knew better, he let it be. Birdy would never tell him until she was ready.

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	2. Selling

Here it is! Chapter 2! Please read and review!

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Thankful that Blink didn't mention her steadily worsening bruise the rest of the day, Birdy took to selling papes. She screamed the headline through the park, though she attracted more customers with her smile then with her words.

"How many you got left, Birdy?" Blink asked around six that evening as he lazily chomped on an apple.

The two of them, after selling out quickly in the morning, had sprung for the afternoon edition as well. Blink, garnering sympathy with his eye patch, sold out before Birdy did. The girl flipped through the meager stack she held in her arms, counting up how many papes remained.

"Three," she replied.

Blink smiled.

"Well, den, surely you can sell 'em on da way to Tibby's."

He stood from his spot on a bench and linked arms with the girl.

"Sound good?"

Birdy smiled sadly and shook her head, pulling her arm from his grip.

"Sorry. I gotta do some things tonight."

He shot her a confused look.

"Walk me there, at least?"

With a sigh, the girl nodded. She could only hope the detour wouldn't make her late. Pocketing the money she had made over the course of the day, Birdy started walking. The two moved through the darkening city toward the restaurant. After Birdy sold her last pape, Blink casually slipped in,

"You know dat, sooner or later, the boys are gonna ask bout that shiner, don't ya?"

Gulping, the girl nodded, but said nothing.

"You wanna tell me 'bout it first?"

He received a severe look from her as they neared Tibby's.

"Blink, there's nothing to tell," she said, looking away from him.

He merely raised an eyebrow at her.

"I'm not tryin' to make things difficult, but-"

Turning, Birdy gave him a sharp look.

"Then don't."

Giving him a quick hug, she waved Blink away.

"Enjoy your dinner. I'll see you later."

Ignoring the weary look he gave her, Birdy smiled and took off. She walked with the greatest speed she had, praying she wasn't already late. Distracted with thoughts of what waited for her at her destination, she didn't notice the boy approaching her.

That is, she didn't notice him until their bodies collided, knocking her to the ground.

"Oh, God! Miss, I'm so sorry!" the boy cried.

He couldn't see her face in the meager light of the New York street. Offering her a hand to get up, he asked,

"Are you alright?"

She waved his hand away and stood on her own, smirking.

"Yes, Davey, I'm fine."

Furrowing his eyebrows, he took a step closer to the girl. She took a step backwards at his advance, moving into a pool of light from a street lamp.

"Birdy!" he said, happy to finally know who it was he had knocked over.

Smiling at him, she tipped her head.

"It's me," she muttered, sarcastically.

He started in on the profuse apologies.

"I am so sorry that I knocked you over. I've just had a lot on my mind with school and selling papes and all-"

She cut him off.

"No need to worry."

Looking up at him, her smiling eyes locked with his for a long moment until she broke the silence.

"I've really got to be going."

He leapt at the chance to assist her.

"I'll walk you. Where are you-?"

Birdy's heart jumped- not with ecstasy, but with fear.

"No!" she shouted, nervously cutting him off.

A chuckle escaped his lips, bewildered that she refused.

"What?" he asked.

"I-" she stalled, thinking of an excuse.

One popped into her head. A smile flashed across her lips as a smooth lie came out.

"I could not trouble you. It's late and you have school tomorrow. I'm just going to the lodging house anyway. I'll be fine."

Her smile nearly knocked him off of his feet. It took a moment for him to collect himself.

"All the same, I can't let you walk alone-"

A dangerous look flashed across her eyes, but her face remained locked in a tight smile.

"You can and you will, David."

The lieutenant's words shocked the boy.

"At least let me-"

She smiled at him.

"I'm just going to the Lodging House, David. A stone's throw away. Please let me go.

With those parting words, she took off, leaving a bewildered boy behind.

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	3. Evening Falls

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With all due haste, David took the back streets to the Lodging House. If she wouldn't let him accompany her home, the least he could do was make sure she arrived there safely. His parents knew to expect him late, though he knew he would get an earful from his mother about not sleeping enough. Running as fast as he could in his school clothes, David jutted through the darkening streets.

In moments, he arrived at the nearly empty Lodging House. Letting himself in and greeting Kloppman, he opened up his copy-book and attempted to do the problems prescribed to him by his teacher. But he let his mind wander. Every few seconds, his eyes flashed from the book to the lodging house door. Nerves coursed through him, though he couldn't put his finger on the reason why. Perhaps it was the way her smile made his breath catch in his chest. Or perhaps it was the black eye forming on her face. He didn't know. But, as the night grew longer and the newsies trickled in, his anxiety festered inside him.

"Hey, Davey. What're youse doin' here?" Cowboy asked as he walked through the door.

David refused to beat around the bush.

"I ran into Birdy today."

Cowboy nodded his head, signing into Kloppman's book.

"She told me she was coming here, but that was two hours ago."

Again, Cowboy nodded, as though this was news he received every day.

"And she's-" he looked around and ducked closer to Jack, lowering his voice so other newsies could not hear him.

The boy sighed.

"She's got a black eye, Jack," David said, his eyes imploring Jack to do something to help her.

With a small pat on David's shoulder, Cowboy smiled sadly.

"G'home, Davey," he said.

The leader turned and tried to move toward the stairs.

"Jack! What do you mean?"

Turning and looking at his friend, the boy shook his head.

"G'home, Davey. Youse don't wanna get mixed up wit' Birdy. She's no good f'youse. She's a newsie. Youse gotta future t'think about. Just g'home, Davey."

Shock marred every bit of David's features.

"You know that she's in trouble and you're not going to help her?"

Sliding his hat off and putting it around his neck, Cowboy shrugged.

"She gets in'ta scrapes, Davey. It ain't a problem. It comes wit' da newsie's territory. She's a'right."

Feeling his anger and shock grow, David found it impossible to keep it from registering on his face. Cowboy immediately reacted.

"Well, Ise don't see youse out dere tryin' t'help 'er, Mouth."

David let a strangled chuckle escape him.

"She told me I couldn't. I thought you might be able to talk some sense into her."

With a sigh, Jack turned to go up the stairs.

"Ise'll watch out for hers. If she isn't here by da morning, Ise'll send out some a'da boys to find 'er. Now, go home, Davey," Cowboy said, feeding his friend an outright lie.

He wouldn't send boys to find her. He might give her a hard time in the morning, but he would never interfere in her business. Cowboy knew better. Throwing his hands up incredulously, David picked up his things. Cowboy turned and looked at the boy.

"Why do youse even care?"

David refused to turn and look at his leader.

"I don't know."

* * *

The next morning, Birdy crept through the shadows that the barely raising sun made toward the lodging house. Her heart thumped in her chest as she neared the building, knowing full well the earful Cowboy would give her if he knew she was out all night. New bruises and cuts marred her body for the backtalk she gave the previous morning at the distribution center, and she struggled to pull down her sleeves to cover the new additions to her macabre collection. Checking the clock above the courthouse down the way, she noted that her window of time before the newsies woke and poured from the building grew smaller and smaller. Only five minutes more and the boys would expectantly crawl into her room, only to find her missing.

She quickened her pace, dashing through shadows to ensure that no one would see her. But someone did.

"Hey, Birdy!"

The whispered voice struck Birdy through the heart. She pretended she hadn't heard it and continued toward her home.

"Birdy, wait up!"

Footfall followed her, much to her dismay. As she rounded the corner, nearing the square, a hand gently grasped her shoulder and glued to her the concrete.

"Birdy, it's me. David."

She turned to look at him, anxiously grasping to pull her sleeves down.

"Yeah, I see you, Mouth."

Unfazed by the horrible nickname, he smiled.

"What're you doing out this early?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Looking around, searching for a clock, she tried to brush him off.

"Ah, you know, Mouth. A bit of this and that. Now, if you'll excuse me-"

She shrugged his arm from her shoulder and took off again, only to have him stop her.

"Birdy, did you ever-"

He wanted nothing more than to ask her if she ever even made it back to their Lodging House, but she turned on him, fire brimming in her eyes.

"David, go to class. You'll be late for school."

Underneath everything, he knew those words meant more than that. They held the malice of a thousand '_Get Lost' _utterances and all of the contempt of a million _'Don't come snooping around here again,'s. _

"Alright," he conceded, "I'll see you later."

Placing his cap on his head, he began walking away. Whistling as he went, David tried to figure out the girl who so raptly held his attentions.

* * *

At the same time, Birdy knew that her window of time almost disappeared after her rendevous with the walking mouth. She groaned and rushed, nearly sprinting toward the fire escape that lead to her window, only just in view of her. In one fell swoop, she made a running jump and grasped onto the bottom rung and pulled it down.

"Birdy!" A voice called behind her.

Defeat flooded her and she sighed as her body weight pulled down the metal ladder. When her feet touched the ground, she turned to look at her best friend and leader, Cowboy. Incredulous, a shocked look crossed his face. He looked almost as though someone punched him in the gut.

"Birdy! Did youse just get in? Where da hell were youse?"

Cowboy feared that

Feigning confusion, she shook her head.

"No, I woke up early and went to go get some breakfast. That's all."

A moment of silence passed as her words sunk in. Cowboy easily saw through the lie, especially after his evening talk with David.

"Well, youse need to tell me when youse leave like dat."

Playing the dutiful underling, Birdy nodded.

"Of course, Jack. Sorry. It won't happen again."

Nodding and smiling, he laced an arm around her shoulder.

"Ise know it won't. Yous're my lieutenant, Birdy. Wese gotta set examples. Ol' Kloppy's got us on a curfew for reasons, y'know?"

She nodded.

"I know."

Putting his hat back on his head, he released her and began leading his newsies toward the distribution center. Birdy began shaking from nerves, knowing the Delancy brothers would be awaiting her there.

Instead, another familiar face greeted her.

"Hey, Birdy."

David Jacobs would be the death of Birdy, and she knew it.

"Heya, Davey," a bunch of the boys called as they waited outside the gates.

Several newsies surrounded the boy, unaware of the annoyance and fear bubbling up in the Birdy.

"What're y'doin' outta school, Davey?" Mush asked.

The boy shrugged and looked across the circle at the lone girl in the crowd.

"I don't know. There's just something that told me to be here today."

Everyone ignored his stare at Cowboy's lieutenant and flooded him with questions. Finally, the bell rang and the gates swung open.

"C'mon, C'mon," the voices of the distribution officers called, herding newsies into lines.

Birdy shuffled in, trying to duck into the middle of the crowd to avoid detection. She failed.

"'Ey, Birdy," a voice called to her.

Oscar Delancy looked at her and smirked before motioning for her to go closer.

"What does 'e want from youse?" Blink asked her.

She shrugged, feigning ignorance.

"I dunno. I'll go see."

Skittery stepped up.

"You want me t'go wit' youse?"

Waving him away, she shook her head and began walking in the brothers' direction.

"I can take care of the Delancy Brothers, Skittery," she said with false bravado.

Beneath everything, she was nearly paralyzed with fear in the knowledge that she never handled the Delancy Brothers. They handled her.

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	4. Chapter 4

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Walking over to the brothers, Birdy ducked her head. She silently prayed that the newsies would lose interest and look away, though somehow she doubted it.

"Well, G'morning to you, Birdy. Nice to see that you're safe," Morris said, smirking and crossing his arms.

She looked up at him and copied his action.

"G'morning to you, Morris," she bowed her head before turning to his brother, "Oscar."

Oscar's lips turned up into a devious smile.

"What happened to your eye? Youse oughta be more careful," he said, mockingly.

A dark blue bruise formed around her eye, a fact of which she was not unaware. Standing her ground against the brothers, she sighed.

"Are you just going to mock me or are y'actually going to tell me something productive?"

Dangerous looks passed across the two boy's faces, and she knew she crossed an invisible line. Internally, she groaned at her impulsiveness.

"Sorry," she spit out quickly.

Though she knew it did no good to apologize in the long-run, she could rarely help herself from doing so.

"Y'damn right youse are."

Grinding her teeth in resignation and bending her head down, she gulped at the thought of what would come when she returned to the homestead tonight. She heard thinly veiled murmings from the newsies behind her though, and tilted her head up in a mock act of pride. The last thing Birdy needed was more boys poking around where they weren't needed or wanted: her private life.

"So, Birdy, wese need youse to sell double t'day."

Birdy's jaw dropped, and she let shock flash across her features. The breath flew from her lungs; she found herself incapable of forming understandable words.

"Youse shouldn't act s's'prised, Birdy. Youse know wese got dat party t'night. Gotta get money to play us some poker."

A harsh, throbbing sickness developed in the pit of her stomach at his words.

"Party?"

Morris smirked.

"Yeah. Got somma da guys comin' over tonight. Wese all know how much you like dat, Birdy-"

His eyes raised several times in rapid succession suggestively. Birdy found herself getting more and more sick by the moment.

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"I think I should go over there," David said, wringing his hands as they neared Weasel's window.

All the boys shrugged and laughed it off. A couple of them hit him on the shoulder or elbowed him in the side, thinking it all some grand joke.

"Birdy's got herself under control, David. Youse ain't gotta worry 'bout her."

Mush chuckled and even went further with their defense of the girl.

"Yeah, she'll give those brother a what-for. You'll see."

David walked up to the window after Jack, ordering one hundred papes. The headline seemed decent, but then again, as every great newsie knew, headlines don't sell papes. Newsies do.

"Don't youse worry 'bout Birdy. She's alright," Crutchy said, hobbling down the ramp from the window.

Following closely behind, David still felt the nerves flutter in the pit of his stomach. Something just seemed odd about the whole situation.

"Still, guys, this just-"

Cowboy turned and snapped at him.

"Fine! Den youse go and do somet'in' about it. Don't just keep whinin' 'bout it. Go!"

All the newsies turned to look at their leader. His temper never ran that short.

"Fine. I will. C'mon, Les."

But his younger brother shook his head.

"Me 'n' Race're selling today. Right, Race?"

The little Italian tousled the younger boy's hair and nodded down toward him.

"Sure, kid."

David look uncertainly between them, but nodded all the same.

"Just be safe," he turned to look to Racetrack, "Make sure he's back by supper."

After Race nodded and Les smiled up at his big brother, David turned, shouldered his papes, and walked across the distribution center.

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"Excuse me, Birdy?"

Closing her eyes, praying that she imagined the voice of David Jacobs next to her, Birdy sighed. Unfortunately, Morris either saw him or had the same hallucination.

"What d'ya want, Mouth?" a Delancey brother asked.

Oscar and Morris both steeled at the sight of the boy interrupting their conversation. Oscar adjusted his cap, while Oscar folded his arms in front of him. Nonetheless, David held his ground and merely smiled at the two.

"Well, I'm selling with Birdy here today-"

Turning to the girl with a sarcastically gleeful expression, Morris let fury bubble under the surface of eyes.

"Oh, youse are, are you?"

David, unknowingly signing Birdy's certificate of death, nodded with a smile. Birdy felt that feeling of dread that had been growing explode and consume her.

"Well, yeah."

Morris reached to a stack behind him and handed Birdy her papes. Double the usual amount, she nearly toppled under their weight.

"Youse two run along, den," Oscar said, plastering on a mocking smirk.

He even had the audacity to wave. Throwing her shoulders back and walking ahead, she strode out of the distribution center. Caught off guard, David followed her, trying to catch up. To her dismay, he succeeded as she neared the park.

"Hey! Birdy!" he huffed, "Wait up."

When his footsteps neared hers, she spun around and looked at him.

"Where in the world do you get off, coming into my life and barging into my conversations, telling the Delancey brothers that we are selling together, and that we are-"

He cut off her ramble before she could pass out from lack of breath.

"Yelling in public is not exactly lady-like," David said, nearing her.

Her distress at what the ahead evening held only fueled her shouts toward the boy.

"Hang Lady-like! Do you have any idea what you just-"

Finally, David felt he was getting somewhere with her.

"No," he cut in, smiling, "I don't have any idea what I just did."

She paused, completely still, realizing what she just said. Turning, wide-eyed, she looked up at him. His eyes brimmed with curiosity and something she couldn't quite describe.

"Well-" she began, taking in a shaky breath.

Birdy merely steeled herself and stood to her full height. Patting her hair into place, she walked away from him.

"Let's just get to selling."

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